The Burroughs boys basketball team is always adjusting to the talent it has.

The Burros pressed two years ago with guys like Derrick Dison, Aaron Plaskett and Tommy Wooding running the floor. Last year, with a younger team but a veteran point guard in Nam Trinh, the Burros slowed the pace, didn't press and let Trinh find a way to get others open shots. This year, with a lot of players back, the Burros once again changed to fit their skill set.

They'll play both a four-out and a three-out offense to utilize the talent of a very deep 2012-2013 squad.

"You just put kids in situations and find out how they react to certain things," BHS Coach Doug Hayes said. "When summer ends, we find what works for us and we go with it. Every team has a different kind of game, and as coaches, we want every team to maximize what it does the best."

The Burros will have a lot to maximize this season. Calvin Martin was an honorable mention All-Desert Sky League player a season ago. Young point guard Michael Polman got significant time in the playoffs and never let the moment overcome him. Jon Kauppi and Jesse Young will take over the roles as leaders of the team. Justin Aichlmayr and Matt Polman can shoot the ball with anyone. Jeremy Smith and Alex Ledford add a lot of depth to the Burros' front line. Caleb Felix and Skyler Clark round out a roster full of talent so things are looking bright as the season starts.

Whereas Trinh carried much of the load in getting people shots a year ago, everyone will be involved in getting the to certain areas of the floor to maximize possessions.

"We don't want to penetrate the baseline because we get stuck under the backboard too much, so that's why we focus on the area called the rectangle. We made that a point of emphasis this summer," Hayes said.

The rectangle is the area that consists of a space from the free-throw line to a bit above what is called the "J-Block." It is an area inside the key.

"Those are the areas we want to be attacking because so many good things happen when you do," Hayes said. "The rectangle is only about five or six feet, but it's real estate that we want to control. Whether we're setting screens on the elbows, diving into it and getting floaters or diving into it to draw the defense into that area to kick the ball out to one of our shooters, all of those options lead to positive possessions."

Hayes said Kauppi, Martin, Matt Polman, Michael Polman and Aichlmayr will all have the job of getting to the rectangle this season. Kauppi, who is an excellent penetrator, Micheal Polman, who is quick and long, and Martin, one of the most athletic players in the DSL, will carry much of the load in getting the basketball into that key spot on the floor.

Page 2 of 5 - "They are getting much better," Hayes said. "Our guys are going to be able to generate plenty of offense."

The key to the offense will be Michael Polman. The sophomore point guard impressed during his time on the floor in the Burros' playoff games last year. Now, with the full-time job of running the offense, Hayes expects Michael to play beyond his age.

"Michael has made a lot of progress this year," Hayes said. "He's definitely someone that we are trying to turn into the captain of the boat. He's got to be able to sail it in rough seas, in a direction that comes from coach to point guard. He sits shotgun in the van wherever we go so we can talk over certain situations that we see in games. He's a good ball handler, he's a very good shooter and he's starting to establish some very good fundamental skills. We're starting to see it more and more with him. We can see that he can be our floor general. It's hard to remember that he's just a sophomore."

Against Cathedral in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, Michael came in during a key stretch in the game after Trinh went down with cramps. With Michael in the game, the Burros didn't miss a step in narrowly defeating Cathedral by two points, 55-53.

Against St. John Bosco, a team that has two D-I college recruits on it, Michael came through once again and showed a lot of what his potential could be.

"The more reps he gets, the better he'll get," Hayes said. "We kind of threw him to the wolves at St. John Bosco a little bit, but he didn't play a bad game. He played great for being a rookie point guard in a big-time game like that. He really played tough. We want to keep him heading in that direction.

"It's been a long time since we've had a true sophomore point guard. Usually our point guards take over about their junior year. It's had to be at least 10 years since I've had a true sophomore point guard, so Michael will definitely have a key role on our team."

Kauppi and Young will be the guys to lead the ship this year, however, as the young point guard learns about the day-in and day-out grind of playing basketball at the varsity level.

Hayes said – Kauppi, the Burros' 3 (small forward), and Young, one of the Burros' centers – have done a good job of leading the team so far this year.

"Jesse and Jon together as our captains are doing some good things," Hayes said. "It's just a matter of them getting used to being the leaders. Stepping into that role of leader and telling your peers what to do can be a little awkward at times, but they're doing better."

Page 3 of 5 - Hayes said the biggest contributions both guys can bring is hustle and positive attitudes. If the two can do that every time out on the floor, it will trickle down to the rest of the team.

"The other players on the floor need that from them," Hayes said. "The phrase, 'lead by example' is very true. If you aren't going hard, you cannot expect some one else to go hard. You just can't do that, so those guys have taken over as the two who will do the extra things to make the team better, so people will follow. Attitudes and work ethics are contagious."

Kauppi, who is now a senior, didn't have a major role on last year's team. He came in and hit shots from the corners, got to the basket a few times and gave the Burros some hustle minutes. His role will be much bigger this year. He'll be one of the guys the Burros need to attack the middle of the floor.

"He knows the right things to do, now we're trying to slow the game down for him," Hayes said. "We're trying to establish those habits in him. He's a great rip the ball through and penetrate type of player, so we're working on getting him to certain areas of the floor. He's very aggressive and loves to get to the paint."

Young had a good summer and decided to play football for his senior year. Him and Smith, who both play in the post, played football so Hayes is working with the two on their footwork that they missed while competing on the gridiron.

"We need to get them to once again refine their fine motor skills," Hayes said. "It takes a while to snap back into that. Once they do, I think they will be alright. They are doing some really good things already, so it's a matter of getting them reps."

Hayes has both players working on their ability to finish near the basket before allowing them to step out a bit and work on their jump shots.

"Right now, when we do our shooting drills, I don't let them take jump shots," Hayes said. "I want them to get back their footwork by going block to block to score the basketball. We're doing lots of side-to-side stuff with lots of quick, lateral movements. We want them working on change of direction and change of speed type stuff. With that, we want them to operate efficiently with their hands and that stuff does take a bit of time."

Both Smith and Young came off the bench last season as well, but both played a lot of important minutes that led to Burroughs wins a season ago. With Emmett Wirtz gone, the two will get plenty of opportunities to score points and grab rebounds.

Page 4 of 5 - To add to the down-low depth, Ledford also looks ready to play. He was a JV player a year ago, but adds extra size to an already solid front court that includes the Burros' honorable mention All-DSL player from last year.

Martin will play the 4 (power forward) position for the Burros. He scored 10 or more points in five games last season, including a 21-point outburst against Granite Hills. He'll probably be the primary offensive weapon this season with his ability to either post up or take defenders off the dribble.

If Martin gets double teamed, he'll have plenty of shooters to kick the ball out to. Matt Polman has excellent range and plays deep out on the wing. If opposing teams don't step out on him, he'll hit shot after shot. Aichlmayr will have the same type of role as a shooter, which will help spread the floor at all times for the Burros.

"I think that Justin will have an easier time scoring in the role he has this season," Hayes said. "He's one of those kids that will have a multifaceted role for us in playing the 2 (shooting guard) and 3. If he's hot, he will be in there. That goes for all the 2s and 3s we have. We'll go with the hot hand."

Matt has been working on scoring off the bounce this summer. His pure stroke from the outside will have defenders looking to take away his shooting space. If he can shot fake and dribble into the paint or shot fake, one dribble and shoot more often this season, he'll be difficult for any team to stop.

"Matt has been coming along," Hayes said. "He shoots the ball really well, has been working on some drop step stuff and getting around guys to improve his game. Him being a threat to not only shoot the ball, but also penetrate when guys try to close out on him will be a big step in his progression. He's been doing well on that. He's going to do fine."

With Matt Polman, Michael Polman, Aichlmayr and Kauppi on the outside – the Burros will have a very balanced attack from the inside out.

"It's not so much who starts, but who finishes and who plays the key minutes that lead to a win," Hayes said. "We're going to play a lot of guys, so it'll be interesting how it all shakes out."

Caleb Felix could even find his way into the group to make it even deeper, so it should be an exciting year for the team.

"It's going to be interesting to watch this group play," Hayes said. "We just have to make sure we do the things in games that we work on every day in practice. Whether it's the three points of contact on the defensive end of the floor or communication on the offensive side of the floor, if we can take care of the little things, the game will take care of itself."

Page 5 of 5 - Burroughs starts its season against Tehachapi Wednesday at the Roadrunner Classic in Rosamond.